Safety headgear for pedestrians and workmen



Julie 14, 1949. c. w. sco-r'r 2,473,394

SAFETY HEADGEAR FOR PEDESTRIANS AND WORKMEN Filed March 6. 1948 INVENTOR. Clarenaa Wdoi Patented June 14, 1949 UNITE-ID PATENT OFFICE SAF'E'IKY fnjlfsn AND OR Foit PEfiEsTmANs W KMEN Clarence W. Scott, Chicago; Ill. Ap'imbauoii Mania- 6, 1948', Serial no. 13,446 50mins; (01. 177-429) 1 My invention relates to safety" hats and in particular to safety hats that-are p'rovidedfw'ith warning lights for wearing in darkenedplace's or at night.

An important object of my'inventi'on is to provicle a safety hat having-front;- sid'e*=and"rear' lenses of transparent and translucent material for transmitting beams of various colors of light for warning purposes.

A further object of my invention-is top'roiiide" a safety hat having a pivotably mounted outer shell or helmet which is adjustable todlilr'ent angular planes in order to throw beams of lightin the same plane in whlch'the'weareris' traveling, whether up an incline, one. level, or down an incline.

A still further object of my invent-12in is to provide an adjustable catch means to maintain the outer shell in the desired angular adjustment 'in relation to the said skull cap means.

A further object of my invention is to provide illuminating means for the said safety hat prefer-'- ably consisting of an electric-light bulb mounted therein, together with switch means'and'portable battery means.

A still further object of my invention is-to provide a safety hat, the outer-shellor helmet of which will also serve as protect-ionagainst weather and as a shade or protection from bright lights and glare.

Other objects and advantages embraced in my invention will be disclosed in the-following description and in the accompanying illustrations in which like parts are-designated by like numerals, and in which;

Fig. 1 is a side view of my safety hat, together with switch and battery means shown being worn by a figure drawn in phantom line, and with parts cut away to show the interior construction of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of my invention taken looking in the direction of lines 22 on Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of my invention taken substantially on line 33 on 'Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary. cross-sectional view of the battery means of my invention taken substantially on line 4--4 on Figure 1.-

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the adjustable catch means-of my invention taken substantially on line 5-5 on Figure 2.

Referring to the illustrations, my invention is generally designated 5 and consists of a skull cap 1 made preferably of leather or a like material. Said skull cap I is formed to fit the head 8 of the wearer, and may be made in the various sizes required. A helmet or shell l0 preferably made of a plastic material is pivotably' moiilitd over theskull cap i by means of rivets} and spacers 39 in the sidesthereof. The said helmet I0 is of a somewhat greater diametralprpbqifj tion'thanthe'skull cap 1 to provide ventilation therebetween. The rim portion! i of heirr'ietqjq is formed outwardly and is further iorme'dlnto avisor portion i 2 at the front. l

la i ab ec t me ns l neist gd a length of flat spring which is forrnedin ajU sha e as shown in Figure 5, oneeridfoi which is a tache'd'to helmet ID. The other or fre'e'end of the said springfifl is provided with m I4,to engageone of a number of matinidlrnilff lifof' r rie'taibr plastic which are mounted in mating' position upon the front of the' s'aid sit ti] I cap i. Sai'd'adjustable catch l3 together with mating dimples"! 5, provides an salesmen-m ans betwenthehelmet I 0 a'ndskull cap'l soj'that said helmet to maybe worn in a num'ber'fp'i' angular positions or planes as shown "in Figures 1 and5. N

A light socket t6 containing'a ligh't bulbfi'l is mounted'witliin' the helmet ill, prefcrably'tii the center, as shown in Figure 1 and'cbri'n'btei'i by means of light cord I 8 to a li'gh'irswftch1 0, which may be worn upon"a convenientpocke't 34 held thereon' by an attached pocket'clip' 1]. An eiectric'cord'fl connects the 'switch zfl' to a battery means 25, which'is carriedwithin' a battery case 26 attachable by meansof loops 'it' to a' belt29. The 'said cord'22passes through bushing 23 in the flap'cover'N of the said battery case 26} which 'is held shut by zrieans'of a snap fastener 21. g

The light cord [8 maybe provided with "a number of adjusting coils i9 toallow for head movement and for helmet adjustment. The inside of helmet l0 maybe provided' w'ith a re fiector surface 33 to reflect light from 'thejelec tric' light'bulb' If! through a numbei 'of transiparent and translucent lenses preferably mounted in theirontside's and rear of the s'aidhelme't ill The front lens '30 is preferably transparent. The two' side lenses iii are preferably translucent and of a recognizable safety color such as green." The rear'lens 32 is preferably translucent and "of a recognizable warning color such as red; The said lens 32 may be of a different and distinguishing shape such as a star, as illustrated.

A principal use of my illuminated safety hat 8 is for workers in dark places such as subways and tunnels, and for pedestrians at night. in which the hat is worn upon the head 8 as illustrated in Figure l and is electrically connected to a battery means 25 and a switch means 20 fastened at convenient. locations upon the body. When the said electric light I! is turned on. beams of light are thrown from each of the lenses 30, 3| and 32. The transparent lens 30 throws a beam of light 35 forward which besides being a warning light, serves to provide general illumination for the wearer. The two side translucent lenses 3| throw colored lights 38 such as green, and the rear translucent lens 32 throws a colored light 31 such as red. The said adjustable catch 13 provides adjustment means between the helmet HI and skull cap 1 so that the said helmet Ill may be maintained in a position parallel with the surface over which the wearer is traveling, in order to throw visible warning light beams in the direction and angle that may be seen by vehicles or other pedestrians in the vicinity. The visor i2 furthermore serves to protect the eyes from the glare of oncoming headlights.

Although my invention has been described, the terms used are to be deemed terms of description rather than terms of limitation, my intention being to retain the right to all mechanical equivalents of the structural elements depicted, provided they fall within the purview of the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed and revealed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A safety hat for workers, pedestrains and the like comprising, a skull cap, a helmet pivotally secured to the said skull cap on its transverse axls, adjustable catch means retaining the said helmet in adjustable relationship to the said skull cap, light means secured to the said helmet at its interior central portion, battery means securable to a belt worn by a person, switch means, electrical connecting means interconnecting the said switch means to the said light means and the said battery means at an intermediate point, and varicolored visual signal means secured at front rear and sides of the said helmet diffusing rays of light.

2. A safety hat for workers, pedestrians and the like comprising, a skull cap, a helmet pivotally secured to the said skull cap on its transverse axis, adjustable catch means retaining the said helmet in adjustable relationship to the said skull cap, light means secured to the said helmet at its interior central portion, battery means securable to a belt worn by a person, switch means, electrical connecting means interconnecting the said switch means to the said light means and the said battery means at an intermediate point, and varicolored visual signal means secured at front rear and sides of the said helmet diffusing rays of light, and reflector means interiorly of the said helmet and rearwardly of the said light means to concentrate and direct the rays of light toward the said visual signal means.

3. A safety hat for workers, pedestrians and the like comprising, a skull cap, a helmet plvotally secured to the said skull cap on its transverse axis, adjustable catch means retaining the said helmet in adjustable relationship to the said skull cap, light means secured to the said helmet at its interior central portion. battery means securable to a belt worn by a person, switch means, electrical connecting means interconnecting the said switch means to the said light means and the said battery means at an intermediate point, varicolored visual signal means secured at front rear and sides of the said helmet diffusing rays of light, battery case means retaining removably the said battery means, and belt means supporting slidably and adj ustably the said battery case means, the said electrical connecting means being provided with extensible and compressible coil means to compensate for the movements of the head of a person wearing the said safety hat.

4. A safety hat for workers, pedestrians and the like comprising, a skull cap. a helmet pivotally secured to the said skull cap on its transverse axis, adjustable catch means retaining the said helmet in adjustable relationship to the said skull cap, light means secured to the said helmet at its interior central portion, battery means securable to a belt worn by a person, switch means, electrical connecting means interconnecting the said switch means to the said light means and the said battery means at an intermediate point, varicolored visual signal means secured at front rear and sides of the said helmet difiuslng rays of light, battery case means retaining removably the said battery means, and belt means supporting slldably and adjustably the said battery case means, the said electrical connecting means being provided with extensible and compressible coil means to compensate for the movements of the head of a person wearing the said safety hat.

5. A safety hat for workers, pedestrians and the like comprising, a skull. cap, a helmet pivot/ally secured to the said skull cap on its transverse axis, adjustable catch means retaining the said helmet in adjustable relationship to the said skull cap, light means secured to the said helmet at its interior central portion, battery means securable to a belt worn by a person, switch means, electrical connecting means interconnecting the said switch means to the said light means and the said battery means at an intermediate point, varicolored visual signal means secured at front rear and sides of the said helmet diffusing rays of light, reflector means interiorly of the said helmet and rearwardly of the said light means to concentrate and direct the rays of light toward the said visual signal means, battery case means retaining removably the said battery means, and belt means supporting slidably and adj ustably the said battery case means, the said electrical connecting means being provided with extensible and compressible coil means to compensate for the movementsof the head of a person wearing the said safety hat.

CLARENCE W. SCOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,019,748 Becker May 12, 1912 1,572,210 Kolibas Feb. 9, 1926 1,839,113 Mitchell et ai Dec. 29, 1936 

